Note big comfy saddle.
Trip 4 25 JUL 00
In the chemical industry each plant has what�s called it�s "Maximum Sustainable Daily Rate� in tonnes per hour. You can make it produce more than this for short periods, but bits start dropping off and valves and seals start failing. Similarly, during this year�s rides I have discovered that my own MSDR is about 160 miles. Any more than this and I have to push myself too much, so that my knees and back can�t cope too well. This being so, there is no way that I will be able to bike from Exeter, so I have abandoned that plan. That and the fact it would cost me more than 100 pounds on the train.
I didn�t want to end the year on a failure, so I though I�d try another century at least. Thinking about where to go, I realised although it�s only a few miles to the coast, I had never cycled there. I had always been in other people�s counties and not seen much of East Yorkshire. I thought about the local blind tandem riders and their rides to the seaside and decided to head off to Aldbrough.
Note big comfy saddle.
It was a great relief to cycle with a reduced payload on my back, as I wouldn�t have to carry as much gear as last time. About 1330 I set off through the eastern suburbs and into the countryside. Another relief was the terrain; no major hills to contend with and with only the odd farm here and there, the terrain resembled Friesland in Holland rather than typical Yorkshire. On arrival at Aldbrough, I headed for the coast; only to find that all of the old places I remember on my last visit here had been eaten up by the North Sea. The rate of coastal erosion was alarming and the wooden steps down from the cliff onto the beach had long since been swept away.
As I fancied a stroll on a beach, it was off to Withernsea, further down the coast. Lots of people from Leeds and Bradford were arriving for their summer holidays in the hundreds of chalets and caravans. The actual beach was virtually deserted, as it was a grey drizzly day with a stiff sea breeze. After dipping my toes in the water, it was time to set off again. Next along the coast were the massive terminals near Easington, which import North Sea gas from the offshore Rough fields. It was just possible to make out one or two of the rigs in the afternoon gloom.
Arriving at remote village of Kilnsea, I decided to cycle to the very tip of Spurn Point, a 5-mile long spit of land projecting out into the Humber--
By now the Sun was breaking through and it became quite warm and still. Arriving at the top of the headland, there was a sign that said all vehicles must pay 2-50 to the warden to proceed any further. Apparently, this didn't apply to bikes and I was able to continue free of charge. The road was very narrow with the North Sea on my left and the mouth of the Humber on the right. The terrain was spartan with mainly Gorse and hardy grasses the only vegetation. There were lots of bird watchers here, taking advantage of the expanse of mud flats, which are the home to thousand of wading birds. However on my left was a typical white-sanded beach, completely deserted.
Spurn Point
It was nearly teatime and I was getting hungry. I hadn�t brought any food with me and my drink was running out, so it was time to head back. There seemed to be a distinct lack of shops anywhere and all of the pubs I could see were closed. The cycling conditions though were the best I�d ever come across. Any hill encountered was so minor, that it was no effort to climb. The roads were good and there was slight sea breeze. Cruising at 18-20 was quite easy. I stopped to take a photo of the Prime Meridian line at 0 degrees longitude and soon after entering the Western Hemisphere I was in the village of Patrington. Although its chip shop was closed, I could buy some water at a newsagent.
Greenwich Meridian
Heading back home through Keyingham and Thorngumbald the clouds slowly began to part and it became sunny and warm. It was about 1900 now and I was starving. Eventually, I reached home. The mileometer read 77, so after a quick roast beef and potato dinner, I fitted some lights and decided to add the remaining miles to make another century for the year, even though my right knee was very difficult to walk on. The outside ligaments were playing up again.
This was getting very boring now, so I thought of doing a little house hunting while I was out on my bike, so there was a lot of stopping down people's back tenfoots as I looked over their rear gardens. After a couple of hours it was time to call it a day. I could hardly walk on my right leg due to the inflamed ligaments and was very glad I was not somewhere hundreds of miles away with no way to get back home.
Distance 103 miles in 7 hours 25 minutes. Average = 13.9 mph.